Elaborate security for Puri car festival

Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2008, 18:36 [IST]

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Puri, Jul 2 (UNI) Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of Puri Car festival on July four as over one million devotees from across the country are likely to throng this city to witness the festival.

Over 4000 policemen, including 29 IPS officers, 23 DSPs, 61 inspectors, three companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF), 1200 home guards and other rank officers, led by Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Pradip Kapoor, were engaged to ensure safe conduct of the festival.

Special police arrangements had been made to prevent terrorist strike during the fete.

CCTVs had been installed in various strategic places to monitor the crowd, Director General of Police Gopal Nanda said.

Unspecified number of intelligence personnel had been pressed into service to keep a strong vigil on the suspected persons from the crowd.

The sniffer dogs and electronic gadgets would be used to detect concealed explosives, while a number of bomb disposal units would be on their toes to meet any eventuality, the DGP said.

The security personnel would occupy all the roof tops located along side the three-km Grand Road, the venue of the fete and scan the crowd with powerful binoculars.

The authorities had made special traffic arrangements for scores of devotees on the ''Sunavesh day'' of the lords to be held on July 13 atop the three chariots.

Temple sources said the construction of all the three chariots was almost complete. District Magistrate Rashmiranjan Pattnaik and Revenue Divisional Commissioner(RDC-cum-temple chief administrator Sailendra Narayan Sarangi were coordinating the progress of the work.